ahself

This was from my stay in February - https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/35045951-post582.html No clue if it's changed since then.

italdesign

Just finished a 2 night stay. The experience was not what I expected.

Based on reviews, I expected a boring, uninspired resort with noisy kids, average view and overpriced mediocre food.

Instead, I got a generous upgrade to a tranquil section with awe-inspiring views, and the onsite food, while expensive, was excellent. Everything exceeded my expectation.

ROOM: Booked base-level Palace Resort View with 2 FNCs. Pre-upgraded to Makai Resort View. Politely inquired about upgrade at check-in and was offered a suite in Palace Tower. The main balcony was expansive, probably 5x the size of the normal balcony, with a direct view of the ocean. There was a smaller balcony facing the interior green. The ocean view was breathtaking from the 5th floor. It was next to the Presidential Suite. This is probably the 2nd best Hilton upgrade I ever received as a Diamond member, after the Conrad Bora Bora.




Balcony is 2x of the size captured in this picture!



Most people seem to dislike Palace Tower. We didn't stay in Makai but as a couple without kids, we prefer Palace for its tranquility. While Makai is closer to the main pools and lobby, it's 10x noisier, and I can't imagine the view gets much better than what we had in Palace.


(Ocean Tower (near Palace Tower) overlooking Makai)

FOOD: We had dinner at Nui the first night. We had the Seafood Pasta and the Roman Pizza. The former was extraordinary, with 2 giant scallops and 2 giant shrimp (among other seafood). The shrimp in particular was so flavorful and juicy. The squid ink pasta absorbed the broth flavor very well. The pizza, while enormous portion, was just OK. We loved the pasta so much that we ordered TWO more takeout for lunch on our last day (used the microwave on each floor).



On our 2nd night, we had dinner at KPC. It has a new menu owing to new chef. I didn't take pic of the menu but all the interesting stuff I saw on the web menu was missing (seafood boil, braised short ribs). Initially bummed, I was quickly rejuvenated by the excellent Ribeye Steak. I just had a few steaks at top steakhouses and was shocked to find this in the same league. We had it Medium and it came out just right - somewhat pink but not red, with plenty of marbling. We also had the fish of the day, which was a little firm for my liking, but still good. We had outdoor seating next to the ocean; the atmosphere was impeccable.



For 1st day lunch, we had the Lagoon Burger and another burger at Lagoon Grill with dolphin view. The burgers were decent, though arguably better were the sweet potato fries and regular fries that came with them. As mentioned, we ordered takeout from Nui for the 2nd day lunch, since it was so good.

The food quality was a pleasant surprise, given the generally negative reviews. I consider myself a picky eater and was very satisfied. As a comparison, I ate at Canoe House on the same trip and while Canoe had the best consistency (everything was good, but nothing was extraordinary), my favorite dishes were at Nui and KPC. The ambiance is slightly better at Canoe House, but KPC is a strong contender.

MISC: when I searched, pretty much every night of the year was available for 75k. That makes it a hassle-free choice for FNC or points usage, compared to better properties that are often much harder to find availability. The Kohala pool is closed until summer 2024. Significant turtle sighting at the "waterfall" - they love it there.



We had a quick look at the Marriott. While it has a beach (and Hilton doesn't really), we prefer the Hilton: the view seems better, no resort fee on award stay, dining credit not restricted to breakfast, and how many hotels gives you a choice between a boat AND a train to your room?

pitflyer

Potentially very silly question but is bottled water given to Diamond members on service? I noticed this says service is on 24 hour request for all, so that means you have to request it basically first thing for the next day. Trying to figure out if I should stock up at Costco or end up with a lot of extra Kirkland water. Thanks

Beachchaser

we got 2 waters as diamonds at check in, we spent a majority of our 4 days ( too few) exploring the island. Definitely stop and get ample bottled water.

italdesign

Can't answer directly as we skipped housekeeping, but we used the provided reusable water bottle with the water station by the elevator.

pitflyer

Thanks that's how the courtyard does it too.

pitflyer

Can confirm that you get a couple bottles upon check in and otherwise use the refillable bottles at this hotel. They are very cheap -- I ended up using the ones from the Courtyard I stayed in one night before my five nights here. For double the actual price, was very underwhelmed with this property. No real recognition as a Diamond (not even a thank you upon checkin), an 'upgrade' to Makai Tower (which is useful because it was easier in from the parking lot where the $50 daily fee is just .. whatever) but a view of nothing and a tiny balcony. Have to text every day if you want your room to be serviced, and often it was still done very late.

The $36 daily food credit only really works for two people if you use it for lunch -- both breakfast and dinner are too expensive, but the places open around lunch aren't too bad for island/resort prices. The cranberry chicken salad sandwich for $18 was surprisingly good. All in all, it was an OK stay but given the 75k points per night this place requests, even at Hilton's very devalued point rates, I don't think it's worth it.

matthewcr

Spent last week here and upon check-in received this card as a Diamond.


My wife and I attended as did about 7-8 other members and guests. Each of us had a table in the tap room and were comped drinks (beer/wine/cocktails) and a nice pupu platter of things from the tap room menu. We had a couple cocktails each. I think there were 3-4 different directors there and they individually came around and gave us cards, thanked us and did a few minutes of Q&A at each table. They just started this a couple months ago, so it was a nice, unexpected benefit.

italdesign

My review above not withstanding, this video card tells you a lot about the property.

twitch76

Headed there in a week. It will be our second visit (Last one was 5+ years ago), staying on a points booking for 6 nights. Currently booked into Palace Resort View, standard reward. Not renting a car -- planning on mostly staying close, with a tour on one day. Probably planning on using F&B credit for lunch on most days, with a couple of evening meals (KPC, Nui). Will likely do breakfast on our own (groceries or coffee shop).

A bunch of questions, wondering if anyone has recent experience on any of the following:

1) Are they still doing the Diamond Reception on Wednesday?
2) In-room coffee? (provided, ample, easy to replenish?)
3) Daily Housekeeping standard, or only on request? Can it be requested for the entire week, or day-by-day?
4) Lagoon Grill included in F&B credit, or not?
5) Shuttle to Kings/Queens Market running, or not?
6) How long a walk to nearest off-resort coffee shop?
7) How long a walk to nearest grocery/convenience store for snacks/breakfast food?
8) Walk to Lava Lava Beach club -- sidewalk or beach?

matthewcr

xooz

This is good to hear, as I have a soft spot for this hotel. It was the source of my joining FT and becoming "points conscious". In 2002 we stayed using the GLON award, which as I recall was 5 nights for 100K points, which I achieved via Amex card signup. It was a great trip with the kids and I have positive memories. Good to see it still brings a little value in this inflated environment.

RedElmo

How's the weather in Dec? I plan to go last week of Dec during winter break for kids. Not sure if it would be too cold to swim and doing the water activities?

Baze

Air and water temp fine for swimming, hiking, whatever. Not cold. Just gets dark a little earlier.